The German police are chasing a Bitcoin fraudster. The man is said to have gained the trust of a German pensioner (65) from East Westphalia and relieved her by a six-figure amount.
The Bielefeld police therefore went public with a wanted report on Thursday. A photo of a Swiss citizen is attached to the report. It is the photo that the man sent to the victim of the fraud – to prove his credibility.
In the photo, the man is holding a Swiss identity card into the camera. The name Stefan Frei is written on it.
Man reports to Blick editorial office
The man in the photo does not seem to be the Bitcoin fraudster. Because on Friday morning a man from Bern reports to the Blick editorial team and claims to be the person on the wanted photo of the Bielefeld police.
But his name is not Stefan Frei. Apparently the name on the ID was manipulated. Rather, he seems to be part of the Bitcoin scam’s scam. He explains: “One person introduced himself to me on the phone as an employee of a trading portal and enticed him with a good deal. He posed as a Liechtensteiner with the name Peter Thomi. “
Caller asked for a photo from Blick reader
The man on the phone asked him to take a photo. «One where I hold my ID in the picture. I did this and sent him the photo. ” That was in December 2019.
He also transferred a one-time amount of money to the alleged employee of the trading company: 500 euros. “He lured me by saying that I would receive a starting bonus if I transfer the 500 euros to him.” In addition, the caller promised him a return within a few weeks, says the Bernese.
Never seen paid-in money
That sounded good and plausible to him. “I know that it works the same way with legal trading portals. So I did not doubt this approach. Unfortunately, I checked this company too late. ” He never saw the money paid in again.
He also reported the photo mix-up to the Bielefeld police, says the Blick reader. “I also called on the Bern canton police in this case, since I live in the canton of Bern.”